Today's first Golden Gate Heights stairway was the 16th Ave. "Hidden Garden Steps" (149 steps, Kirkham to Lawton: first pic), waiting to be tiled like the 16th & Moraga beauty a few blocks away. A blue bench has been added at the foot in front of one of the murals since my last visit.

At the top of the Moraga tiled stairway (163 steps: second and third pics), 28 steps divide lower and upper 14th Avenue. From the top of these, cross the street and start up the main Grandview Park stairway (144 steps, fourth and fifth pics). There are 68 steps to the first bench and 116 to the second.

Immediately noticed upon reaching the summit was the addition of attractive rustic wood-and-wire fencing; sometimes on one side of the trail, sometimes both. This has replaced flimsy ropes-and-posts that used to be here.

When I got to the east side of the park at the top of the Moraga east stairway (Mount Sutro directly across in the distance), found that there are a couple of big logs to sit on now. There used to be a bench up here but it was removed a few years ago. Also added have been three new wide wood steps so that now you can more easily step down to the trail from the top of the stairway.

In addition, there are new wood retaining walls on both east and west sides at the foot of the park's two main stairways, replacing low concrete walls. The new ones have flat sit-on tops (reminded of Buena Vista Park's renovations several years ago). On both sides also are some straw wattles and plantings, including up near the summit where all those roots used to be.

Started to descend the Moraga east but didn't want to go all the way to the foot of the whole stairway (at Funston, next pic) so turned at the 110th step, out of the park and before the divider steps at 14th Ave. (next two pics). Wanted to take a Forest Hill route from here, climbing to the south and east.

Curved around to 12th Ave. and Noriega where Selma stairway (153 steps: last pic) climbs to Ortega. Then past the foot of Aerial East stairway on upper Ortega to 11th, and up 10th to Quintara. Turned left at Quintara onto what looks like a dead-end street. It is for vehicles. But there's a very short dirt and concrete walkway out to the Forest Hill neighborhood at 44 Mendosa.

Continuing down to 9th Avenue, Mesa, Santa Rita, Castenada, Pacheco past the top of the Grand Pacheco stairway, to Magellan, Marcela, and finally down Sola to the top of the short stairway leading to the Forest Hill Metro Station at 7th Ave./Laguna Honda.